ICP rules Absolut London not in breach of code

The Independent Complaints Panel has ruled the design of the Absolut London bottle does not have a particular appeal to under 18s, after Alcohol Concern lodged a complaint.

The Independent Complaints Panel has ruled the design of the Absolut London bottle does not have a particular appeal to under 18s, after Alcohol Concern lodged a complaint.

Alcohol Concern considered the campaign, which centred on a series of cartoon characters in graphic novel style, would have a strong niche appeal among under 18s.

Absolut, owned by Pernod Ricard UK, partnered with Jamie Hewlett to develop a bottle design in order to highlight London's style and fashion pioneers over the past 200 years.

Pernod Ricard said it had worked closely with the artist in developing the characters, to ensure the imagery was compliant with its own marketing code and the Portman Group Code of Practice, and had modified some of the images to avoid any suggestion that the characters could be viewed as being under 25 years or underage drinkers.

The panel, chaired by Sir Richard Tilt, considered that although the images were in an illustrative style it did not automatically mean they would appeal to under 18s.

Henry Ashworth, chief executive of the Portman Group, which provides the secretariat for the Independent Complaints Panel, said: "There are strict rules preventing alcohol from being marketed at children and we thank the people who take the time to complain about campaigns they think are inappropriate. The panel has ruled that Absolut London has not broken responsibility rules and the company worked to ensure that the characters did not appear to be under 25.

"We advise all producers to be vigilant in developing campaigns and in conveying the alcoholic nature of their products, and to contact the Portman Group for pre-launch advice at the earliest stage."